Controller for electric motors.



J. R. GARNER & M. R. H. MUELLER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. R. GARNER & M. R. H. MUELLER.

- CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUN: 30, 1911.

1,024,985. Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTO myifama- W haze, 1,5. 772 ZZe)" COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPIIcul, WASHINGTON, D. c,

J. R. GARNER & M. R. H, MUELLER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE so, 1911.

1,024,985, Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 W Maw 772;: 230

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH IO-WASHINGTON. p C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH RICHARDSON GARNER AND MAX RICHARD HUGO MUELLER, OF ASTON, BIR-MINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO ELECTRIC AND ORDNANCE ACCESSORIES COMPANYLIMITED, OF ASTON, ENGLAND, A CORPORATION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH RICHARD- SON GARNER and MAX RICHARD HUGOMUEL- LER, subjects of the King of Great Britain and the German Emperor,respectively, residing at Aston, Birmingham, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Im- ')rovements in Controllers for ElectricMotors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to controllers for use in connection withelectro-motors for driving machinery and other purposes, and has for itsprincipal object, to provide a combination apparatus or appliancecomprising a barrel-type starter and controller or series regulator(with or without a separate reversing barrel), a magnetically-operateddouble-pole switch or circuit-breaker. and a shunt regulator, allarranged so that the circuit-breaker can be actuated or controlled, andthe main series-controller and shunt-regulator operated by a singlehandle, and the whole mounted or inclosed together with themotor-armature or series resistances and the shunt resistances, within apillar-like casing so as to form a complete or self-contained controllerunit or shell.

The feature above specified is also present in the construction shown inour companion application Serial'No. 636232, but is not made the subjectof the claims which that application contains.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section through thecasing of a combination controller appliance c011- structed and arrangedin accordance with this invention, the internal arrangement being shownin elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal section through theappliance 011 line a" Fig. 1. This view shows the main switch or circuitbreaker in its on posit-ion. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing themotor and the electric circuits.

The pillar-like casing 1 of the controller appliance is of uprightcylindrical shape, and has its bottom formed as a base or foot 2, whilethe top is provided with either a fixed or detachable lid or cover 3having a bearing for the upper end of the shaft l of the maincontroller-barrel 5, as well as a bearing for the shaft 6 of theindependently operated reversing barrel 7. The front and back of thepillar have large Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Serial No. 636,233.

openings to permit of access being obtained to all the internalmechanism, and these openings are fitted with hinged doors 8, 8, formingpart of the cylinder and provided with suitable fastenings. The saidmain barrel shaft 1 is arranged vertically in the middle of the pillarcasing, but in front of the vertical center line, and its upper endextends through its bearing in the top cover or lid, and is furnishedexternally with a handle 9 for rotating the said shaft and therebyoperating the main controller barrel 5 and the shunt regulating device,while the lower end of the shaft has its bearing in a cross-web ordiaphragm 10 (Fig. 1) which may be cast solid with the casing, andseparates the hollow base or foot 2 of the said casing from the upperpart thereof. This base 2 constitutes a chain her to contain the shuntregulator (hereafter described) while the space above the said web ordiaphragm 10 forms another and larger chamber for containing the circuitbreaker, the main-controller and reversing barrels with their contacts,together with their various accessory parts, and also the armatureresistance elements.

The circuit-breaker or main switch is arranged in the upper part of thetop compartment, immediately below the lid or cover, and its movingelements are arranged on one side of the main shaft. This breaker is ofthe double-pole type being taken into and locked in its circuit-closingposition electro-magnetically by ano-volt coil arranged in a shuntcircuit which is closed by the initial movement of the main controllerbarrel away from the off position, while the circuit-breaking movementis obtained by a spring. It consists of a bell.- crank lever 11 (Fig. 2)keyed to a vertical rock shaft 12 mounted in bearings carried by anupright hanger bracket 13 situated in the center of the casing behindthe main shaft, and the short arm 14 of the said lever is connected toone end of a pull-off spring 15 whose other end is anchored to an extension of the bracket 13, while the longer arm carries a vertical bar 16upon whose opposite ends are mounted by means of insulated clips 17, 18,a pair of brushes or contacts 19, 20, which are adapted, by the angularmovement of the lever 11, to make contact with and bridge correspondingpairs of spring fingers or terminals 21, 21, and 22, 22, ar-

ranged respectively in the positive and negative sides of the maincircuit. These fingers are carried upon a vertical finger-bar 23 whichis suitably arranged in a plane parallel with the mainshaft, but uponthe side opposite to the lever 11. The fingerbrackets, which are mountedon but insulated from the said bar, support their re spective fingers infront of the main shaft and in such a position that the brushes 19,

20, can make effective contact therewith when the said lever is swungforward into the circuit-closing position.

ing to the various brushes or contacts on the main controller-barrel 5,and it is detachably mounted within the pillar-casing by providing itsopposite extremities with.

eyes 25, 26, adapted to be secured by bolts to lugs 27, 28 carriedrespectively by the cross web in the lower part of the said casing, andby a web or bar 29 arranged across the top of the structure, immediatelybelow the cap or cover 3.

To electro-magnetically operate the cir cuit-breaker by swinging overthe lever 11 to take the contact or brushes. 19, 20, into contact withthe fingers 21, 22, a no-volt coil 30, connected up in a shunt circuitis mounted outside the said lever and its core or plunger 31 is suitablyconnected with.

the short arm 14 in such a way that on the said coil bein ener izedwhich is effected by arranging for the first motion of thecontroller-barrel to close the said shunt circuit) the plunger is drawnin and rocks the lever 11 into its main-circuit closing position (as inFig. in opposition to the. pull-oil spring 15, while after the saidmain-circuit. has been so closed, the shunt-coil mag-- iietically locksthe said lever in its on position until the shunt circuit is againbroken or interrupted, whereupon the said spring acts to swing back thelever and so break the main circuit automatically. The novolt coil ismounted in a frame 32 carried by hangers from the transverse web or bar29 in the top of the structure.

In conjunction with the no-volt coil, there is arranged a reducingresistance 34, (Fig.

the latter, (at starting), is moved into its preliminary position forfirst closing the said shunt circuit and energizing the 110- Thus,whenthe barrel is in this The bar 23 is used to also carry the fingers2!: correspond- 3), which is cut out of the shunt circuit by acontact 35on the controller barrel, when.

mains in so long as the shunt and main circuits are closed, and it hasthe effect of cutting down the voltage on the novolt coil 30.

The main controllenbarrel 5 is mounted upon the operating shaft at,below the main circuit-breaker, and it is furnished with any suitablearrangement of brushes 36 which, by the rotation of the said barrel awayfrom its off position, are carried successively into contact with thecorresponding fingers 24 on the finger-bar Q3, and thereby progressivelycut out the armature resistance 4L5 from the armature circuit, whileafter the armature resistance has been entirely out out, the furthermovement of the shaft with the main barrel is utilized for controllingor altering the resistance in the shunt circuit and thereby increasingor decreasing the speed of the motor. To provide for this regulation,the main shaft is extended through its bearing in the lower cross web 10of the casing and is there furnished with an arm 37 having a forked orslotted extremity adapted to engage with a stud or projection 38 uponthe operating lever 39 of a shunt regulator device d0 which may be ofany suitable type or construction that can be bolted or otherwise fixedonto the floor or bottom of the hollow base 2 of the pillar-easing. Thesaid shuntresistance lever is so arranged with respect to the controllerbarrel that it will move idly, without inserting any resistance, duringthe first part of the motion of the said main barrel when the startingresistances are being cut out, and will then coininence to insert theadditional speed-regulating resistances into the shunt circuit of themotor. The opposite sides of the shuntregulator casing may as shown befurnished with external brackets 41 to carry the main or series circuitfuses. The elements comprising the armature resistance 45 are preferablycontained within the pillar casing.

47 is a blow-out coil for preventing sparking at the contact fingers ofboth the controller barrel and the circuit breaker, same being carriedupon a pivotally-1nounted bar 48.

56 are the usual brushes or contacts provided upon the reversing barrel7 to cooperate with the fingers 57 on the bar 53 for reversing thedirection of flow of the main current through the motor armature.

69 is the push button of a startin switch mounted upon the top of thepillar-casing and which must be held closed by hand during the operationof the main barrel until the full-on position is reached. The springfingers of this button are adapted. when said button is depressed, toengage a pair of terminals and 76 mounted within the casing andconnected up in the shunt circuit, as shown in Fig. 3. This switch isadapted to close and break the shunt circuit in which the no-volt coilis situated and it has to be closed by the operator depressing thebutton with one hand before the first motion is given to the startinghandle; other wise, the shunt circuit being open, the novolt coil cannotbe energized for putting on the main circuit closer, and should theoperators hand be removed at any time when the barrel is on anyresistance step or before the armature current is full 011, the shunt isautomatically broken and the motor consequently stopped.

In connection with the main circuitbreaker, is a spring-controlledemergency switch 77 which can be used both to break the interlockingcircuit and mechanically push off the circuit-breaker lever 11. Vhenpressed inward the shunt circuit is broken at 80, 81, so as toreenergize the no-volt coil and at the same time the circuitbreakerlever 11 is positively forced to the off position. An electricalinterlock for the doors of the casing is also obtained by the aid of theemergency switch 77, for which purpose the sliding stem 78 of saidswitch is furnished with an. additional collar 82, while the hinge sidesof the two doors 8, S, are both furnished with levering extensions 83,84;, provided with catch pieces 85, 86, which engage with the said slidecollar 82 so that when either of the doors is subsequently opened, itslever extension will act, through the catch-piece, upon the collar andso give an inward movement to the slide, and thereby separate thecontacts 80, 81, of

r the emergency switch.

S7 is an overload release device acting to break the shunt circuit andremove the magnetic lock on the main switch 11. The winding of this isin series with the mains, and the contact piece on the end of itsplunger is normally engaged with contact terminals 92, 93, situated inthe no-volt shunt circuit, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3.Referring to the diagram in Fig. 3, when the main switch is closed thecontacts 19, 20, bridge the pairs of fingers 21 and 22 and the currentflows from the positive terminal through contact 19, overload coil 87,and the top pair of the right-hand contacts 56 on the reversing barrel 7to the motor, thence to the bottom pair of contacts 56 on said barrel,and through blow-out coil 47. From there the current flows through thearmature resistance 45, and through contact to the negative terminal.When the controller barrel is rotated, the armature resistance 45 is cutin or out as required by the lower contacts 36 on the barrel, in theknown man ner. 011 an overload occurring, the coil 87 raises itsplunger, which carries a contact piece at its outer end, so as to breakcontact between the terminals 92, 93, in the shunt circuit in which theno-volt coil is situated. When this happens, the main switch isreleased, as previously described. In the preliminary position of thebarrel this shunt current passes from the coil 30 through contact to topfinger 22, and thus to the negative terminal, the shunt voltage being atits maximum value, which is suflicient to close the main switch, butwhen the barrel is moved past this preliminary position the reducingresistance 34: is put in circuit, the current passing thence throughterminal 76, press-button 69, terminal 75, through the barrel contacts36 to fingers 2st. The motor field shunt circuit is from the top finger56 of the reversing barrel 7, through the field winding to the shuntregulator 10, leaving by the arm 39, and thence joining the maincircuit. As previously described, during the movement of the barrel thearm 39 does not put any resistance into the shunt circuit until all thearmature resistance is cut out, but then gradually introduces resistanceto vary the speed of the motor. Also, after the armature resistance hasbeen cut out the push-button 69 is short-circuited by a contact on thebarrel. hen the reversing barrel is rotated the left-hand set of contacts engage with the fingers 57 and cause the current to pass throughthe motor in the opposite direction.

Having fully described our invention, what we desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is A combination appliance for controlling andregulating electric motors comprising a casing, a horizontal partitiondisposed within the lower portion of said casing for dividing theinterior thereof into separate main and base chambers, said partitionbeing provided with a bearing, a member disposed in the upper portion ofthe main chamber and provided with a bearing in line with thefirst-named bearing, a barrel type controller and a mainelectro-magnetic switch disposed within said main chamber, saidcontroller including a vertical shaft which is journaled at its oppositeends in said bearings and projects at its lower end into said basechamber, a handle for rotating said shaft, a shunt regulator disposedwithin said base chamber and including an operating lever, and an armconnecting the projecting end of said shaft with said lever, wherebysaid shunt regulator will be operated during the rotation of said shaft.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH RICHARDSON GARNER. MAX RICHARD HUGO MUELLER. lVitnesses HENRYNORTON SKERRETT, WILLIAM S'rarrns SKERRETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

